Time and Time Again
by chris allen
Summary: The flow of time is a very fragile thing and should be treated with great care, a fact that Harry Potter is about to discover in a most enlightening way.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first attempt at fanfiction so if any of you have any advice on how I can make this story better, I would _really _like to hear it, so _please _review with any helpful suggestions.

Time and Time Again

By Chris Allen

Chapter One

"Hmm…Ok, I sense a joke here, I just can't seem to put my finger on the punch-line." Harry mused out loud as he took in the scene before him. "You two wouldn't happen to be members of an exotic dancing troupe would you, because I really don't need that image in my head? That, and I seriously doubt you would be very successful." Seeing not one, but TWO Lord Voldemorts standing across from him, which would have frightened most people to the point of soiling themselves, didn't seem to do much to Harry except push all of his current problems out of his mind for the time being. This certainly wasn't a situation where one would normally be so sarcastic but he didn't seem to have the ability to keep his mouth shut. The Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix were called to the scene mere minutes later when a large magical blast reduced the once meticulously pruned park in Surry to a smoking crater.

The following days were an absolute nightmare for all parties involved as they tried to figure out what had caused the explosion. When it was discovered that Harry Potter was missing and his two guards found stunned and bound, those in the loop became completely frantic. After the first twenty four hours Professor Dumbledore had no choice but to inform the Ministry of Harry's absence to gain their support in finding him and very few got any sleep after that as just about every Ministry employee was working extended shifts, analyzing the blast area for any clues, tracking down and Obliviating any muggles who may have witnessed whatever magic had caused it and working with the Prime Minister's office to come up with an acceptable cover story for the muggle investigators. Not to mention the massive manhunt that was underway to find their lost hero.

As a precaution, Dumbeldore moved Harry's friends and their families to Grimmauld Place incase Voldemort chose to target them next. A fact that the Grangers were very unhappy about. While they supported their daughter's choice to attend Hogwarts and tried to console her as she grieved for whatever fate her friend had met, they were by no means happy that the magical world had such an impact on their lives. While they were upset that Hermione had kept many of the worst aspects of her world a secret from them, they were furious that Dumbledore and his lot would simply ignore such issues when dealing with the parents of muggleborn students who were considering sending their children to Hogwarts, like they didn't have the right to know the dangers their children would be in.

Of the Weasleys, only Molly was up and about, bustling around the house, cooking or cleaning one thing or another but like her daughter and Hermione, she was in tears almost constantly and when she wasn't, it wouldn't take much to set her off again. Ron, Neville, even the twins were very downcast and depressed as they waited to hear any news, which pissed them off quite a bit since no one would tell them anything.. In fact, only Luna Lovegood didn't seem to be so down. Like nothing going on around her had any effect what so ever.

Like the Ministry, the Order was in complete chaos and tempers were more than a little short since they had to work around the new Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour, who seemed to think that this was his moment to shine and tried to cut Dumbeldore out of the investigation altogether. One of their biggest stumbling blocks was the fact that Snape was clearly no longer trusted among the other Death Eaters. Shortly before the attack on Harry, Snape had been summoned and then _detained._ He had barely escaped with his life the following day and spent considerable time under Madam Pomfrey's care. While she was able to fix him up well enough, he was walking with a bit of a limp and was still rather pale, even for him. Unfortunately, the magic within his Dark Mark had been severed, a rather painful process he admitted, so he was no longer able to know if Voldemort was summoning his Death Eaters, a rather useful bit of information to have since during the first war these mass summonings usually took place right before an attack.

The forth day, things changed, however. All of Harry's friends were sitting silently in Hermione and Ginny's room when Mrs. Weasley bustled and informed them that Professor Dumbledore had flooed and requested that they be present at that evenings meeting. This surprised them all, especially the twins, who had been trying to join the Order ever since they dropped out of Hogwarts months before. Choosing not to question it, they all got up and followed Mrs. Weasley out of the door, wincing slightly as the heard the painting of Sirius' mother begin waling once again.

As they descended the stairs, the reason for the painting's outburst became clear. Standing just inside the front door was an older man, probably in his late sixties or early seventies, with dark graying hair wearing nondescript black robes and had a highly polished black cane caped with a silver skull held underneath his arm. He currently had a woman they couldn't recognize bent over backwards slightly as he snogged her senseless.

"MINERVA!" Mrs. Weasley shouted in shock. The two broke apart slowly and looked at the irate den mother curiously and those behind her were disgusted to find that the woman involved was non other than their Deputy Headmistress. Ron himself looked to be sick, though he couldn't take his eyes off the burn scar that marred much of the upper portion of the right side of the man's face. "Really, a woman your age putting herself on display like that, its shameful."

"I must disagree, Molly." The man spoke up with a grin. "It is perfectly healthy. And the wonderful fact that we enjoy greater health than muggles ensures that we shall have a _very _active and fulfilling sex life for many years to come." That was too much for Ron as he ran back up the stairs, making a beeline straight for the bathroom. It was only their pride that kept the twins and Ginny from following Ron's example and Hermione was looking at her favorite teacher, the woman she tried to model herself after, as if she had never seen her before.

"Holy shit!" She muttered to herself but apparently it wasn't quiet enough as several people turned to her in surprise. That was not the kind of thing you would expect to hear from her. "Oh, um, sorry, pardon my French."

"Pardon your French?" The unknown man repeated the common phrase curiously as though he had never heard it before. "Why, are you French? If that is the case, child, I'm afraid you can't be pardoned, that is simply unforgivable. The French, you see, are a worthless lot. They lost most of their balls after Napoleon was defeated. Although, even we must pay respect to the deeds of the past. So we must bow down and give them our supreme thanks for popularizing oral sex." He explained seriously while giving them all, especially the six teenagers present, a meaningful look, as if that was some great pearl of wisdom. Every female present blushed while the twins were trying to determine if this man was deliberately saying these things to provoke their obvious reactions or if he was simply cracked in the head. Either way, a conversation with him would surely be fascinating.

"Well, My Dear, I'm sure that Albus will be along momentarily, so it is probably best that we adjourn to the kitchen. The fact that he is actually seeking my aid leaves no doubt that the matter is most urgent." The two linked arms and proceeded through the door while everyone looked on with gob smacked expressions as the stern transfiguration professor giggled slightly.

"Who was that man? I've seen him at Hogwarts a few times but I just assumed he was from the Ministry or a member of the Board of Governors." Hermione choked out after a few moments. That display certainly didn't look like any kind of working relationship, well, not a respectable one, at any rate.

"That was Jacob Fields, Professor McGonagall's husband." Luna answered in her usual airy tone. Everyone turned to look at her in surprise with the exception of Mrs. Weasley who was still looking towards the kitchen door with a look of supreme disapproval on her face.

"The man is a menace. Really, the old rogue has the maturity level of a five year old." The Weasley matriarch nearly growled.

"He may very well be our new hero." Fred spoke up in awe, George nodded in complete agreement.

"But, but what was wrong with Professor McGonagall, she wasn't acting like herself?" Hermione asked frantically, wanting to know if someone had drugged her role model or if she were sick.

"Hermione," Neville sighed in annoyance. "You have only ever seen McGonagall at Hogwarts, and possibly here, when she was acting in a position of authority, did it never cross your mind that she may be a little more relaxed when she isn't working?"

"But she's always at Hogwarts!" The future Head Girl protested. "I just assumed that all the professors lived there, at least during the school year."

"No, only Dumbledore, Snape and Madam Pomfrey live there throughout the entire term, the rest usually only spend about three nights a week there on a rotating basis. Probably spends the rest with whatever family they have." George spoke up, remembering studying the Marauder's Map in detail regularly until they passed it on to Harry. In their, um, field of study, it was smart to know the patterns the Hogwarts staff used at night. Only a fool would go about their mischief with the assumption that they only had to avoid Filch and his cat."

"Merlin, that was awful." Ron groaned as he rejoined the group. He had lived the last five years of his life very happy in the knowledge that people like McGonagall did not get up to anything remotely considered 'intimate', that illusion has now been shattered forever and his peace of mind was none the better for it.

After the group had composed themselves, they ventured into the kitchen to find it mostly full of the people they believed to be the 'inner circle' of the Order. Moody, Shacklebolt and Tonks were standing in one corner talking in whispers, though Tonks was quite animated, making it clear that she was upset, something the two more seasoned wizards were able to hide. Remus, Mr. Weasley and his two oldest sons, Charlie and Bill, were sitting at the table silently, all looking quite depressed. Though Bill and Charlie didn't know Harry nearly as well as their younger siblings, he was well liked and they had begun to think of him as an honorary Weasley.

Snape, Hestia Jones and Emmeline Vance and a few others were scattered about, each looking to be in different stages of exhaustion. In fact, the only people who looked to be in top condition, as well as in a good mood, were McGonagall and her husband who were sitting close together, Minerva giggling softly while 'Jacob' whispered something into her ear, earning a light slap on the shoulder. Most present shot a glare or two at the couple, not particularly finding anything about the current situation funny.

With a burst of green flame, Albus Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace, with his brother, Aberforth, right behind him. Everyone quickly quieted down and looked at their leader in surprise as he cast several wards over the room immediately after he arrived. There were already several silencing and locking spells in place so they couldn't understand why he would add more. The more experienced of the group noticed that he wasn't trying to keep any eavesdroppers out, rather he wanted to keep them _in. _

"Now, most of you know each other, but for those of you who are unfamiliar with him, this is Jacob Fields from the Department of Mysteries, he is also Minerva's husband of over fifty years." Dumbledore began, earning the indicated couple several shocked looks, to which they smiled slightly. Dumbledore gave them a penetrating glare but Jacob merely raised an eyebrow in response. "Before we get to the heart of the matter, we will hear Kingsley's report."

"Well, the investigation is going pretty slow for the time being," The Senior Auror began after shaking himself for a moment. After replacing Cornelius Fudge as Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour reassigned Shacklebolt to security for the muggle Prime Minister but was now forced to work double duty for both governments due to Harry's disappearance. "Thus far, we have been unable to find any eyewitnesses to this explosion or the events leading up to it. Due to some traces of magic detected, it is thought that wards were in place to keep everyone away but were later destroyed by the blast which, apart from the physical damage, also distorted much of the magical signatures present, leaving any definite identification of the spells used in the area impossible. At this point in time, we are working under the assumption that Mr. Potter is alive somewhere due to the lack of any trace of human remains with the exception of a few samples of blood. The blast, itself, left a magical signature I am unfamiliar with but before we could run any more sophisticated tests, the Department of Mysteries claimed jurisdiction over the sight and confiscated all of our samples. The sight has since been wiped clean of all magic." The slight drop in the man's tone was the only indication that the situation aggravated him to no end. As he finished, many turned to Jacob Fields, waiting for whatever he may say.

"Is this why you asked me to be here, Albus?" He asked in an amused tone. "You know perfectly well that my colleagues and I don't answer to the Aurors, the Wizengamot or even to the Minister, himself. This event, and any investigations into it, is a department matter. One which you have no authority over." Just about everyone in the room was glaring at the man in anger because of his casual attitude about the situation. This was Harry Potter they were talking about, for Merlin's sake, and this man seemed to think that it didn't matter. Worst of all, to many of them, was that McGonagall seemed to find the situation funny.

"I am well aware of your department's autonomy." Dumbledore nearly growled in anger. "You are here to answer questions on why you and Minerva were seen at Mr. Potter's place of residence just four hours before he disappeared."

"Really, Albus," McGonagall huffed in annoyance. It was strange for all to see her act much like a petulant teenager. "What we do is of no concern of yours."

"How true, sweetheart. While he may be your superior, he has absolutely no control over your actions outside of a working environment and, well, even while I was his student, he had no control over me. However, Albus, if you must know, I was there to get an idea of where Mr. Potter's guards would be stationed so that I could neutralize them later. I suspect Minerva tagged along so that she could see him one last time while he was still pretty." Jacob explained with a grin, earning him another slap on the shoulder from his smiling wife.

"WHAT HAVE THE TWO OF YOU DONE?" Dumbledore thundered as he jumped to his feet with his wand raised. Many others, Remus, the Weasleys and Tonks, most notably, looked to be fully prepared to follow his example. Instantly Jacob's carefree demeanor disappeared as he looked up into Dumbledore's eyes with a hard look on his face.

"Do you really want to test yourself against me, Albus?" He snarled as he slowly stood up himself. The combined power of the waves of magic given off by the two men was nearly suffocating to all others in the room. It was actually quite shocking. What was more surprising to those watching, however, was that it was clear that Dumbeldore was having second thoughts about his chosen course of action, though he didn't lower his wand.

"If you want to know what transpired in that park, you have all the information you need to figure it out for yourself. You arrived on the scene before anyone else and unlike Mr. Shacklebolt here, I'm sure you at least partially recognized the magic in the area. Now, take that information and think." Jacob order in a strong voice, earning many confused looks but Albus did as he said

While the magic in the area was rare and widely unknown, it was slightly familiar to him, magic that was strictly controlled by the Department of Mysteries. In all the years that he had known the other man, he had rarely known Jacob to speak without carefully choosing his words so while he may have thought he had only one piece of the puzzle, he apparently had the whole thing, he just had to arrange it in the right order. Unfortunately, with magic such as this, _order _was never a constant. With this thought in mind, his eyes snapped back into focus and stared at Jacob intently, thinking of everything he knew of him.

The only sound heard beyond the clattering of Dumbledore's hitting the floor, was the gasp that escaped his lips as his eyes went wide. He stumbled backwards and collapsed into his chair, never taking his eyes off the man in front of him. He had suspected Jacob's role in the Department of Mysteries when Minerva was able to easily procure a Time-Turner for Ms. Granger in her third year. It would seem those suspicions were now confirmed. But what were the department's motives here?

"You gave Mr. Potter a Time-Turner!" The Hogwarts Headmaster accused. "Why?"

"Well, there could be any number of reasons, couldn't there?" Jacob chuckled. "I could have sent him into the past to right some grievous wrong. He could be taking as much time as needed to advance in the training you should have already given him, he could be relaxing in some peaceful future setting…"

"Or he could be standing right in front of you talking about other things he could be doing." Luna broke in with a small smile. Everyone looking at her as if she were insane but Jacob seemed to have an annoyed look about him.

"Thank you for spoiling the surprise, Miss Lovegood." Minerva snapped while glaring at the young witch.

"You have to excuse Minerva, she hasn't had enough sugar today and she's been looking forward to this for a long time. We had a bet on how long it would take you to figure it out on your own. I'm really disappointed in you, Albus. You had all the information you needed, not to mention all the hints I had dropped over the years but you still couldn't put two and two together. Very disappointed indeed." Jacob sighed before turning to Luna. "And you, you should know better than to interrupt when the grown ups are talking…"

"Well I was getting impatient." The Ravenclaw defended herself. "I'm really sorry, Harry."

"You see, you just did it again. You may be too old to go stand in the corner but no one is too old for a spanking." He suddenly stopped with a surprised look on his face before turning to his wife. "That sounded a bit creepy, didn't it?"

"Yes, it did." Minerva agreed.

"Oh well, one of the perks of age, I can claim senility, unless I'm talking about giving you a spanking, then it should be alright." He nodded happily with his conclusion making Minerva blush slightly while everyone else seemed to be in varying stages of shock for one reason or another.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON?" Mrs. Weasley's bellowing voice seemed to give everyone the shock they needed to get their minds back to the here and now, and then the questions started flying. Unfortunately everyone seemed to want to make their voices heard at once and everyone just asked variations of the same two or three questions. Jacob continued to show his amusement but Minerva was getting irritable.

"SILENCE!" She shouted as she stood up. She was only a little annoyed at their failure to keep themselves composed, after all, this wasn't a normal situation. However, she was a bit angry that their shouting was ruining her good mood. Everyone, even Dumbledore, was cowed by the intense glare she leveled at all of them and immediately sat down again, some even muttering apologies.

"H… Harry, is that really you?" It was actually quite amusing how squeaky Dumbledore's voice sounded.

"Yes, indeed it is!" Jacob confirmed with a large grin. "Though I would prefer if you would still call me Jacob. After more than fifty years, answering to Harry just seems wrong."

"You're married to McGonagall?" Ron nearly shouted, his face pale and eyes wide, remembering the things this man was saying when he first arrived. "She's, she's old!" Seeing the identical raised eyebrows coming from the couple, and knowing Minerva's temper about such lack of tact, Albus quickly cleared his throat quite loudly, drawing all attention to him.

"I think its best that we move on, for instance, if you are really Harry, why did you wait four days after your initial disappearance to let us know, how does Ms. Lovegood seem to know about this and most importantly, what happened in Surry?"

"Well, to your first question, I didn't make contact with you because I was busy. That blast attracted an awful lot of attention and cleanup was a nightmare. Also, studying its effects was actually quite fascinating. We never had an occurrence like that before where we had a human factor involved, the eggheads in research were very excited."

"The entire department knows your true identity?" Arthur Weasley asked in surprise.

"No, only a few teams within Research and Development that have been working on this since '42. They studied my initial _arrival _in that year pretty thoroughly but couldn't make any definite conclusions without studying the aftereffects of my _departure _as well."

"I don't understand. What is so interesting about this? They've been using Time-Turners for years." Ginny asked in confusion. Many others nodded their agreement and the few that understood shook their heads slightly at their ignorance. It was pretty obvious.

"Ms. Weasley, Time-Turners are only capable of moving a few hours, six at most." Remus spoke up while looking at 'Harry' in confusion. "Harry, or Jacob, traveled over _fifty years_."

"Precisely! So you can imagine that the last few days have been very hectic. While it probably would have been best to inform you of what had happened before now, on top of the research that is being conducted, I do have a job of my own that I have to see to."

"What do you do within the department?" Albus asked. He suspected that he had worked in research himself, specifically those developing Time-Turners but his previous statement seemed to lead away from that.

"As I have told you in the past, Albus, while some of my work is rather general, my status is classified, and it will remain so. Now, Luna knows because she visited Minerva in her office in Hogwarts about four months ago while I was also there. She seemed to know who I was immediately. I tried to use a memory charm but the damn thing didn't work so after securing a number of oaths and a magically binding nondisclosure contract, I gave her the rough details.

"Onto the more important issue. Shortly before the _incident _I returned to Privet Drive and stunned your guards because I don't remember them interfering when I was in my younger self's positionso it left three possibilities. Either they weren't there, unlikely but possible. They were killed beforehand, highly likely given the circumstances, or they were otherwise detained. I think being left stunned and bound in the bushes is much preferable to death, don't you agree? Now, this whole mess started when I, rather, my younger self, decided to take a walk…"

_Four Days Ago_

"Hmm…Ok, I sense a joke here, I just can't seem to put my finger on the punch-line." Harry mused out loud as he took in the scene before him. "You two wouldn't happen to be members of an exotic dancing troupe would you, because I really don't need that image in my head? That, and I seriously doubt you would be very successful." Seeing not one, but TWO Lord Voldemorts standing across from him, which would have frightened most people to the point of soiling themselves, didn't seem to do much to Harry except push all of his current problems out of his mind for the time being. This certainly wasn't a situation where one would normally be so sarcastic but he didn't seem to have the ability to keep his mouth shut.

"You would do…" Both Voldemorts started at once but then stopped for a moment. The one on the right gave the other a slight wave, as if telling him 'you have the floor'. This did nothing to quell the humor Harry was feeling at the moment. Despite the identical massive waves of magic he could literally feel the two men giving off, it was probably the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen in his life. While his 'twin' had given him leave to proceed alone, the moment for a witty and threatening rebuke was long past so the Dark Lord merely moved on.

"As you can see, Potter, even one of your considerable luck has no hope of escaping me this time." Harry could do nothing but sigh at the overly cliché lines dark wizards of all walks of life thought to be clever. Though he couldn't fault the man's intelligence or resourcefulness. His Death Eaters had always been more a hindrance than anything else when dealing with Harry, so what does he do? He brings himself along, literally. Though he couldn't really tell how he did it. Clone himself, use a time-turner or some other method, he didn't know, or care for that matter. But he did feel a great deal of pride, that one such as Voldemort would go to such lengths to dispose of him.

"You went through all this trouble just for little old me? I'll tell you, Tom, you sure know how to make a guy feel special. But the question is, where did this other you come from?"

"To satisfy your curiosity, Potter," The Dark Lord on the right spoke up, looking at Harry with something akin to amusement. With his serpentine features, however, he didn't carry it off very well. "I am from two years into your future. I had just disposed of that Scottish tart, McGonagall, when I found an interesting time-turner her father and husband had developed and here I am." Dark Lord Number two sneered as he withdrew his wand. While thoughts of one of his favorite professors being killed would normally have caused some emotional reaction from him, he was currently only thinking of one thing.

'MCGONAGALL WAS MARRIED!' He just couldn't wrap his mind around it. It just didn't seem right on any level of thought. Pushing that thought aside for the time being, he tried to think of anything he could do to get out of this situation. While he certainly didn't have much love for life at the time being, he wasn't too fond of the prospect of death either. Unfortunately, all he had with at the moment was his wand and the Marauder's Map in his back pocket. He had taken to carrying it around with him, sort of a reminder of both his father and Sirius. His father's invisibility cloak would certainly have been more useful when it came to such an encounter but having the cloak with him at all times would have drawn unwanted attention. He was now wishing he had chosen differently, everyone in the neighborhood already thought him to be a criminal, who cared if they saw him with a strange looking piece of fabric. With this in mind, Harry did the logical thing, and for once he didn't have to have Hermione tell him what it was, he ran like hell.

After making it about twenty feet, he looked back and was surprised that his enemy, either of them, was pursuing him. They were just watching him go. This should have been an indicator of what was to come but he just knew that running was by far preferable to facing two of the slimy bastards. He turned his head back to the landscape in front of him just in time to slam face first into some invisible shield. White light flashed before his eyes as he felt his nose break on the solid face of the shield. The area he came into contact with glowed with a light blue light for just a fraction of a second before flaring, violently throwing him backwards.

The impact on colliding with the ground left Harry remembering that invisible wall with fond memories. He wasn't sure how far back he was thrown or how high but he did know that even when getting knocked off his broom during Quiditch practice, he never hit the ground quite so hard. The air exploded out of his chest with such force he momentarily thought that his lungs had gone with it. Though it was absolutely no consolation, the ground was actually quite soft, ensuring any head injuries probably wouldn't be _too _severe. With what he almost certainly had looking forward to in the immediate future he was one step away from preying for some form of brain damage. Unfortunately, all he had was a massive headache and a wave of dizziness and nausea and probably a slight concussion.

"Harry, Harry, Harry. When will you learn?" Opening his eyes, he saw the blurred images of the two Dark Lords standing above him. Reaching up to put his glasses back on straight. He did his best to glare back at the man, men, but sadly, it didn't have much of an effect. He was lying flat on his back with a busted nose, after all. How intimidating could he be?

"No sarcastic reply, Potter. Surely you can come up with something. Or perhaps now would be the time for some of that famous Gryffindor bravery?"

"PISS OFF!" Looking back, that probably wasn't a smart thing to say but considering who he was dealing with, it probably wouldn't matter one bit what he said.

"Dear, dear, we can't have that, now can we?"

"Certainly not."

"_Crucio!" _Two voices hissed as one. To his credit, Harry managed to hold in his screams, for about one second. The first time he had experienced the _Cruciatus Curse _in the graveyard after Voldemort's _rebirth, _he felt as if his veins had been pumped full of acid while a hundred knives cut deep into his skin over and over. With two men of Voldemort's power casting at once, it was beyond description. At the moment, he was actually envious of Frank and Alice Longbottom and longed to meet their same fate.

"Not yet, Harry, not yet!" Strange that someone as sadistic as Voldemort was even capable of imitating anything remotely considered a soothing tone of voice. "Its strange, Potter, is it not, that after all the trouble you have caused me over the years that this would be your end? Here in this little park in a pitiful muggle village. Where is Dumbledore and his vaunted protections when you really need them? I see you don't even have your wand with you, are you in some small way actually looking for your death?" He asked as he knelt down and lightly brushed the hair away from Harry's eyes.

'Wand? My wand?' Harry managed to think through the pain that was still wracking his body. If he was physically capable of doing so, he might have laughed at the man's ridiculous assumption. Just because he didn't draw it as soon as he saw him didn't mean that he didn't have it. It was just a rare occasion where he actually used his head. Running in that situation was actually a very intelligent thing to do. Then again, his track record for such things doesn't exactly lean towards intelligence so it was probably a natural thing for Voldemort to believe given the circumstances. Rolling over onto his stomach, to help alleviate some of his pain as much as conceal his movements, he managed to pull his knees up under him but remained hunched over.

"It seems young Potter still has some fight left in him, after all." Voldemort announced, causing both to chuckle. Harry didn't know, or care, which one was talking, he was only hoping that he could do this right. He figured he would probably only get one shot. If he was thinking clearly, he would probably attempt to hit the younger of the two since logic would suggest that if the younger Voldemort was killed or even injured, something might happen to the older, but he was in to much pain to think about the intricacies of time travel at the moment. He was just hoping that whatever wards were up over the place was tied into one of them and if he did enough damage they might come down, giving him a very small, but existent, chance to escape.

Remembering how both Snape and Voldemort was able to enter his mind so easily, he quickly turned all his thought to the pain in his chest. Thanks to Snape's rather sink or swim strategy in teaching him, Harry didn't really know what the hell he was supposed to do but was encouraged that Voldemort made no move to stop him. Unfortunately, turning all thought to his chest seemed to make the pain increase dramatically and he temporarily forgot what he was supposed to be doing in the first place. Voldemort was gloating about something but he couldn't really be bothered to pay attention, he figured if he was going to do anything, he was going to have to do it now.

With a shaking hand, he reached into his left sleeve and grasped the handle of his wand that was held to his arm with a piece of one of Dudley's old belts. The wand was halfway out of his makeshift holster when Voldemort got fed up with being ignored and rewarded him with another _Cruciatus Curse _while it still hurt like hell, he found that compared to being hit with two at once, this was almost bearable. This time, he didn't bother to try to hold in his screams but instead used it as he rolled over onto his back and threw up his wand.

"_CONFRINGO" _While his broken nose and the blood draining down his throat would surely alter his pronunciation, it seemed the force in which he cast the blasting curse and the overwhelming intent behind it was enough to produce at least a relatively strong curse. He almost groaned in resignation when his spell missed Voldemort's chest by mere inches but that faded quickly to be replaced with almost sadistic glee. He had forgotten about the other Dark Lord. He didn't hear the spell hit but he certainly heard the unholy scream of both pain and rage.

"DAMN YOU, POTTER!" No spell the only standing Dark Lord could cast would be able to wipe the smile off Harry's face. He only got a brief look at the downed wizard before he saw the orange glow of a bludgeoning curse streaking towards him. He had neither the time or the energy to move out of the way but fortunately it was only a glancing blow. Unfortunately, he was thrown backwards four feet and came to a sudden stop when a wheelbarrow size rock got in his way causing him to bite back a scream when he felt at least two ribs break with a wet pop. His smile returned though when he looked up to see Voldemort kneeling over his injured _twin. _Probably the only time in his life where he should concern for someone, and this was certainly for selfish reasons. If it was the younger of the two that was injured, what would happen to him if he died and if it was the older, he could be looking at his own death in some similar fashion at some time in the future. No matter what time they come from, Voldemort's greatest fear will always be death and to see it actually happen would probably be the most frightening thing he had ever experienced.

Letting out a small sigh, Harry leaned back against the rock and looked around for his wand. While he was fairly sure that he wouldn't stand a chance against the healthy of the two wizards, he wasn't planning on just laying back and accepting his fate. His life might suck but he did have his pride, however small it might be. After taking a moment to look over his immediate area, he found no trace of his wand but he found something else.

Grunting in pain, he leaned over about three feet and picked up the small object, he recognized it as a Time-Turner. It appeared that he had indeed hit the future Voldemort and wherever his curse had hit, it had severed the chain. The one Hermione had used throughout their third year had been a simple silver hourglass suspended in the center of a silver ring. However, this one was gold and had four separate rings around it, each capable of spinning independent of the others. According to Voldemort Number Two, it was _an interesting Time-Turner _McGonagall's husband and father developed. The one that Hermione had was only capable of moving a few hours at a time, this one was obviously capable of moving years. That clearly told him that this had much more power. The only thing he really knew about the devices, apart from their intended use, was that being anywhere near a heavily damaged one was usually bad for your health.

Looking around and judging that the nearest house was about a hundred yards away and the shield surrounding the park was obviously powerful, he decided to find out for himself what happened when a Time-Turner was broken. He was hoping for an explosion, a big one. That would be a hell of a way to go out, wouldn't it? And taking two Voldemorts with him, what more could he ask for?

He took a moment to think this plan over while he twirled the object in his hand, something he probably shouldn't be doing but he was passed the point of caring. It was only a few seconds later when two noisy gasps caught his attention. Snapping his head back up to see two serpentine faces focused solely on the object dangling from his hand. Harry's jaw dropped open slightly as he saw the wound just under one of the men's left collarbone slowly shrink as it healed. The injured Dark Lord was now sitting up while the other was standing and took two steps forward before stopping once again, never taking his eyes off the Time-Turner in Harry's hand.

'Oh well, here goes nothing.' Harry thought as he brought the object down and slammed it against the rock a few times. To give the designers credit, the first two times didn't seem to do much at all but after the third strike, the thing began pulsing with a with a mustard yellow light, speeding up with every second that passed.

"YOU FOOLISH BOY, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?" Voldemort raged has he drew his wand once again and began waving it in a very complicated manner. Harry wasn't quite sure what he was hoping to accomplish but whatever he was doing didn't seem to have any effect. "GET UP, GODDAMNIT, AND TAKE THIS SHIELD DOWN!" He yelled to his _twin. _Obviously whatever the shield was had to be taken down with a specific wand movement and incantation and the younger of the two didn't know the correct pattern.

Grunting slightly, Harry threw the damaged Time-Turner towards his two enemies as hard as he could, only succeeding in getting it halfway there, before attempting to crawl away in the opposite direction. He didn't know if it was human survival instinct or some higher power guiding him but all of a sudden the idea of dying in the middle of this neighborhood didn't seem so appealing, no matter what he may accomplish as a result.

"What the devil is going on, why isn't it working?" Looking back, Harry saw the two standing at the shield's edge, both looking particularly frantic at the moment.

"The magic from the Time-Turner is distorting my spells, the shield no longer recognizes our magic."

'Hello.' Harry thought to himself as he cam across his wand as he tried to make his escape. He slipped it back into his jerry rigged holster when a steadily increasing buzzing noise caught his attention. Looking back, he saw the damaged Time-Turner vibrating and mere seconds later a yellowish shock wave shot out in all directions. Harry got as low as he could and covered his head but it didn't seem to do any good as a wave of hot air over took him before he felt an incredible force drive him downwards.

End of Chapter One.

Well, that's it for now. Over the next few days, this chapter may change slightly depending on any constructive criticism I may get so reviews will be appreciated. Thank you for giving this story a chance.


	2. Chapter 2

Time and Time Again

By Chris Allen

Chapter Two

Harry was really beginning to think that his chosen course of action probably wasn't the best. The heat from the majority of the shockwave wasn't that bad but there were small pockets that, while not hot, seemed burn living material, much like an acid. He discovered this little gem of knowledge when he decided that it was safe to take a look around, just to see what this wave was doing. He had brought his head up only a few inches when the side of his face began crackling and hissing in a manner much more suited to a frying pan. With a cry of both surprise and agony, he slammed his head back onto the ground much harder than was necessary but considering the pain he was already in, he didn't pay much notice to a mere bump on the head. Covering both his face and his hands as much as he could, he did all that he could to present as small a target as possible and just hoped to ride it out.

On a physical level, it certainly wasn't the most arduous, but it was without a doubt the most frightening experience of his life. Facing trolls, basilisks, acromantula, dragons and even Dark Lords didn't even compare. The thought of burning to death had always been of fear of his but judging by what he was feeling right now, this had all the pain involved but worked much slower. Although he had made the decision for a suicidal attempt at taking Voldemort down mere moments ago, if he had known this was involved, he would have tried to think of something, anything, else.

He wasn't quite sure how long he laid there but after the wind stopped whipping around him he stayed perfectly still for a few minutes before even thinking about taking a look around. With his luck that little storm was only the beginning of something that would get much worse. Taking his chances, he lifted his head only a few inches and cracked open one eye. To his emense relief, it seemed that everything had settled once again and returned to some form of normalcy. Of course, the fact that he was now at the bottom of fifteen foot deep rocky crater that stretched at least twenty yards across was by no means normal but that damned wind _had_ stopped. He could have found himself on the summit of Mount Everest completely starkers in the dead of winter and he wouldn't give a damn.

His relief lasted only a moment as the more pressing issue of his burning face came back to the forefront of his mind with a sizzling pop. Gasping in pain, he reached for his wand with a shaky hand, the _Aguameti _charm already on his lips when his very limited muggle education seemed to make a resurgence. This was no ordinary burn, even the thickest of individuals could tell that. More like acid or some chemical reaction than fire and one thing he had learned was that a jet of water probably wasn't the best way to go about cleaning it up. It could possibly make the situation worse. He had to bite back a sob as he realized that both time and pain seemed to have robbed him of the information on how to neutralize such things.

Working on instinct alone, he cast every cleaning spell he had ever seen Mrs. Weasley use. Unfortunately some of them didn't have a very good effect and seemed to make the matter worse when a simple _Scourgify,_ coincidently, the only spell in the bunch he didn't think would do anything, seemed to do the trick. Now, instead of the searing heat that was steadily growing worse over an increasingly larger area, had subsided somewhat to an intense, but isolated, stinging sensation. While it was by no means pleasant, it was by far preferable.

After taking a few minutes to get both his body and mind under control, Harry sat up and looked around at his surroundings. If it wasn't for the throbbing pain in his face, he would have been impressed with the destruction a Time-Turner could cause for being such a small device. Being fifteen feet below ground level, he couldn't see if there were any changes beyond the new crater but the crater itself was impressive nonetheless. However, he was very confused as to why the landscape had sustained such damage and yet he had barely been hurt, the burns to his face notwithstanding.

Pain or not, there was one sight that brought a feral grin to his lips. Along the edge, Voldemort was pinned in a standing position with a large chunk, a very large chunk, of rock jutting through his chest. Like Harry, he had burns on his face and hands that were still burning away his flesh. His wand was laying at his feet, out of reach, preventing him from keeping the burns from spreading even if he was in any physical condition to do so. Blood was leaking out of his mouth and nose and despite the light twitching of his body, the vacant look about his eyes made it clear that he was already dead.

Chuckling darkly, Harry turned his back on the deceased Dark Lord and began climbing back to the surface. Due to his various injuries, it took him a few minutes despite the relatively easy climb. Given the drastic changes to the terrain in the general vicinity of the Time-Turner, he was actually quite surprised that beyond the newly created pit everything seemed to be in perfect order. If you discount that fact that he was clearly not in Little Whinging any more, that is. Where he had expected to see whatever remained of the park he had previously occupied, he saw a meticulously trimmed lawn with a rather nice three story Victorian manor house not far in front of him. To his right, the property was bordered by a forested area but unlike the Forbidden Forest on the Hogwarts grounds that practically reeked of magic, this forest just 'felt' more normal.

To his left, he was able to make out a simple country dirt road that led down the hill into a nearby village. Due to the lateness of the hour, it was nearly impossible to tell its general size in the dark but judging by the lights illuminating the various structures it seemed to be of a fairly modest size. Shaking his head slightly to bring himself back to a more constructive line of thought, he turned back towards the house in front of him with the hope of getting some medical help. Harry normally wasn't the trusting kind but given his current state of health he felt he had no choice but to take a chance and see if there was anyone home. If they turned out to be Death Eaters or even just homicidal muggles, he didn't really have much of a choice, so tough shit. With as bad as he felt currently, death was sounding like a decent improvement.

Unfortunately, he didn't make it three steps before a very unwelcome voice behind him spoke an equally unwelcome incantation. Moving as fast as he could, he drew his wand once again and spun around but it was already too late. Just before his world exploded into pain, he began mentally cursing himself for forgetting that there had been two Voldemorts, not one, present when he destroyed the Time-Turner.

Just like before, this Cruciatus curse was no where near as painful as when both versions of the wizard had cast it on him at the same time, but it was certainly the most powerful single curse he had ever experienced and caused him to lose his grasp on his wand and he dropped to his knees. Obviously the direction this little encounter had turned had enraged him to a point where he could pump a much greater degree of power into the curse. Hate was certainly a powerful weapon when wielded by a person with the right state of mind. An extremely twisted state of mind.

He didn't know how long he had been under the curse's effects but when it was lifted his body was trembling badly and he felt himself hyperventilating as he tried to such in as much air as possible. Even the slightest movements felt as if fire was coursing through his veins but he managed to look up into the enraged face of the Dark Lord just seconds before a powerful banishing charm slammed into his chest, launching him through the air.

XXX

Argyle McGonagall was not a man that was easily surprised, nor did he particularly enjoy it when he was. So it was understandable that when the wards surrounding his family home came under attack he was not in the best of moods. While the attack enraged him, for sure, it was more because he didn't know that it was coming. For a man who prided himself on being one step ahead of both his enemies and his allies in these dark times, it was a serious blow to his professional pride despite the fact that no force could possibly make it through before the house could be evacuated. He was not foolish enough to entrust the task of Secret Keeper to anyone who could potentially betray him, either intentionally or not, and the rest of the wards alone made the manor more secure than even Gringotts. Security that had cost him a great deal of gold and favors, but it was well worth it.

He looked out his study window to see whatever pitiful attack would be coming when he received his second shock of the night. It was not coming from outside the wards, but inside and it didn't seem to be an attack at all, at least not any he had ever heard of. More of an intense magical anomaly. He had seen something similar on a scale model but he had never seen anything like it in person and certainly had never heard of anything occurring on this massive scale. Unfortunately there are many different forms of magic that could cause an event such as this so while he could narrow down field of what this could be, it was still a pretty long list and he was sure that those with actual experience in such things could add any number of other ideas.

It looked like a mass of glowing yellow clouds that were rapidly revolving around the center of the disturbance. There were several patches that were more brown in color and seemed to flash occasionally, almost like lightening. Around the edges the ground began a swift transformation, first killing off the grass and other nearby plant life while the soil was pushed up several feet leaving him little doubt that whatever was going on, it was not something he wanted to get near.

Argyle was of two minds on the subject when the clouds began dissipating a few minutes after it began. On the one hand, he was a little disappointed that it was over before he had gotten enough control over himself to make a few floo calls to some colleagues to come and see it for themselves. It was quite a unique experience, after all. On the other hand, this was his home, where his family was supposed to be protected and it pissed him off to no end that whoever, or whatever, had caused this, had seen fit to do it here.

He just stood there for a moment with this thought in mind, feeling the anger nearly consume him, before shaking it off. As his eyes snapped back into focus, he saw that his front yard seemed to be sporting a new hole. A rather large hole. Even from the distance he was currently standing, he was willing to bet that it was perfect circle, with a diameter of at least twenty yards.

He was turning around to rush over to the fireplace to floo a few people when his attention was once again pulled towards his lawn by movement at the edge of the crater. At first he just thought that it was rocks or clumps of dirt falling in but then he saw an arm reaching out. He just stared dumbly in shock as he watched what appeared to be a teenage boy pull himself out of the hole and slowly climb to his feet. Judging by the destruction that it had caused to his lawn he didn't even want to know what it must have been like to be in the center of that 'storm'. He didn't even have the mental capacity at the moment to be mad that this was most likely the person that had breached his wards.

Despite the fact that the boy had survived the experience, he clearly did not come out unscathed as he seemed to sway back and forth as he looked around before taking an unsteady step towards the house. All in all, he seemed to be pretty disoriented. Blinking tightly to regain his composure, Argyle ran out of the room before charging down the stairs to the main entrance hall. While his home wasn't exactly enormous, it was still pretty large, and he wasn't as young as he used to be, so when he arrived at his destination he stopped for a moment to catch his breath. Besides, he wanted to get this over with quickly, just incase that 'storm' had alerted the Ministry. He wanted to get his answers before the Ministry got their hands on the boy. Thankfully he had a store of Veritaserum on hand. If the boy wasn't to badly injured, he had every intention of putting it to good use.

Unfortunately, he opened the door just in time to see something flying towards him. Eyes wide, he quickly pushed the door shut again but was to late as whatever it was slammed into the solid piece of oak, throwing him to the floor in the process. Shaking his head, he looked around to find whatever it was only to have his mouth drop open slightly as he caught sight of the boy he had seen crawling out of the crater lying unmoving against the opposite wall. He lurched to his feet with a startled gasp and rushed to the boy's side to make sure he was still alive.

Turning him over as gently as he could, he winced slightly as he caught sight of the fresh burn on his face as well as the badly broken nose. Judging by his labored breathing, that hit he took against his door did a fair bit of damage but considering his sluggish and disoriented movements outside, he had been worked over pretty thoroughly before hand. With that thought in mind, Argyle cursed himself mentally for overlooking the fact that something or someone had to have thrown the boy at his door to begin with.

Drawing his wand in one fluid movement, he spun around on his knees but it was already too late. A flurry of hexes slammed into him, ripping the wand from his hand before sending him careening into the wall himself. He tried to move immediately but found he had no motor control as he was lifted off the ground to levitate in front of his attacker. If he had the physical ability to do so he would have gasped in both shock of revulsion.

The _thing _in front of him couldn't even be described as a man, he was an abomination. While he had much of the same physical form, the skeletal thin body, bone white complexion, scarlet red eyes and almost reptilian like facial features was a clear sign that this person held delved extremely deep into some very dark rituals. He wasn't sure just how much of a transformation he had made beyond the physical body but judging by what he could see, he went far beyond any documented case he had seen.

"Judging by the look in your eyes, you are not one of my servants." He commented as he absentmindedly tapped his chin. Luckily, the first thing he did after climbing out of that crater was check for any wards in the area and he had to admit that he was quite impressed with this home's defenses. But, one major flaw he detected, at least to the home's owners in this situation, was their overall power. The shields were both strong enough and extended far enough away to resist shattering under the pressure that Time-Turner had given off. If the Ministry detects the magic at all, they would be unable to interfere and Voldemort was pretty confidant that he could deal with anyone this man had deemed worthy of allowing passed the _Fidelius _charm.

"That being the case, and given the strength of your wards, I will have the time needed to work out my frustrations on you since the boy no longer has any fight in him. In fact," Voldemort sneered before turning around almost faster than the eye could see. Almost instantly, the teenage girl that was standing concealed in a nearby doorway was ripped forward and the wand she had drawn was reduced to ashes.

"Leave her be!" Argyle demanded sharply, concern and fear for his daughter helping him to at least partially fight the spell that was holding him in place. Voldemort simply ignored his words while he used some form of sticking charm to fix the man to the wall. As he slowly circled the girl on the floor, Voldemort couldn't help but feel that he knew her. She just seemed very familiar to him but he couldn't quite remember where he had seen her before. There were very few people who could look him in the eye, much less glare without fear and yet this mere child was able to accomplish both.

'It is of no matter,' He thought with a light shrug. 'Once I am through with her, fear will be all she has left.'

"It would seem, My Dear, that you need a lesson in manners." Without warning, the girl found herself suspended in the air with her arms and legs spread out as far as they could reach. With no incantation a scarlet rope of fire slowly grew out of Voldemort's wand until it reached ten feet in length. This was a favorite spell of his when it came to punishing his Death Eaters. The _Cruciatus _curse served its purpose, but if you wanted to instill fear and control in those around you, you must be able to call on more than one simple spell.

Argyle was cussing up a storm as the deformed wizard stepped behind his now trembling daughter. Voldemort looked him in the eye with an inhuman glee and never looked away with the first crack of his enflamed whip. While the shrieks of pain it elicited as it tore through her robes and skin did a great deal to alleviate his mood, it was seeing the reaction of her father that really made this worthwhile.

The only thing that could make this better was to put this man under the _Imperius _curse and make him do it himself. Nothing pleased him more than to look into someone's eyes immediately after the curse is lifted and they realized what they had done. Unfortunately, in this case, he had casually tested this man's mental defenses and knew that such tactics would fail so he had to rely on the old fashioned method, watching him as he punished his daughter, which was just as good to him. The twisted smile that graced his almost nonexistent lips becoming more pronounced as he brought his whip down for a second time.

The screams echoing off the walls seemed to bring Harry around for a brief moment and he was fully intending to slip back into the blissfully pain free realm of unconsciousness when he cracked one eye open to see what was going on. The image that met his eye, unfortunately for his desire for sleep, seemed to kick start his _'saving people thing', _as Hermione had called it. The way she had said it, it sort of reminded Harry of about all those 'intervention' shows his Aunt Petunia was watching these days. It sounded almost as if Hermione thought that it was some kind of addiction, some sort of bad habit that he needed to kick. While it was well within the realm of possibility that his actions will lead to a very slow and painful end, all those other times they tried getting help from the adults, being turned down of course, and were for very noble causes that turned out alright in the end, for the most part.

A second ear shattering scream interspersed with the near constant crying and yelling pulled Harry's mind back from thoughts about Hermione's physiological diagnoses and back to the situation at hand. Without moving any more than absolutely needed, he was able to determine that there were currently no Death Eaters in the room unless this man hanging on the wall was one of his followers and the girl was being punished for some failure of his. He couldn't really see much from his position but judging by Voldemort's position in front of him, the small portion of someone else that screams like a girl and the rope of fire coming out of Voldemort's wand, he was working someone over pretty good. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they had taken his place as the Dark Lord's plaything for the time being. Adrenalin junkie or not, he couldn't just lay there while some girl was getting beaten around like some mongrel dog, even if it turned out to be Pansy Parkinson.

Using the wall behind him for support, Harry pulled himself up into a sitting position, using all available willpower to prevent himself from hissing or gasping in pain from aggravating his broken ribs. Looking around, he couldn't spot his wand anywhere but thankfully he did find one. No doubt belonging to one of the two other occupants of the room. Sadly it was only after he had pulled himself to his knees and began crawling towards it that he realized that to reach the wand he would have to cross Voldemort's line of sight, thus giving his movements away. Harry shook his head in frustration. He was pretty sure that he could escape while 'ole Snake Face's' attention was elsewhere but much to the detriment of his life expectancy, that just wasn't him.

Harry was disgusted to see that the entry hall in which he was currently sitting was obnoxiously free of anything that could be used for such an occasion. Under normal circumstances he would probably find it quite tasteful but for the time being the circumstances were far from normal. There were a pair of crossed axes on one of the walls but like the wand, getting to them would reveal his conscious state. Searching a little more thoroughly, he did find something. Four small brass posts standing about three feet in height with a diameter of three inches. They were positioned around a small alcove near the door, blocking all movement with a chain suspended between them. As he moved closer Harry could see that the alcove was made up like a small shrine with the portrait of a stately looking woman in her early to mid thirties. She wasn't what one would call gorgeous but she had a classical beauty and inner strength about her that would surely make a lasting impression.

He tore his eyes away from the painting with a shake of his head and set about disconnecting the chain as quietly as possible. Sadly, once this task was completed he discovered that the posts were not merely standing on the floor, they were apart of the floor, thus, they were unable to be removed without magical aid or a great deal of time and noise. Nearly growling in frustration, Harry figured that the chain was the best he was going to get so he moved up behind Voldemort and swung it around as hard as he could just as he brought his own whip up again to strike the girl for the forth time. The blow never landed as Voldemort's head was thrown to the side, his body following a split second later. Harry wasn't quite sure what kind of damage he had done but judging but the loud hiss, he at least caused a bit of pain. Either that or he only managed to piss him off. Either way, the girl would have a chance to get away, possibly taking the other man with her if she could get him off the wall.

In no mood to play fair, Harry didn't give his opponent time to recover before he started swinging the chain again. Knowing that he would be dead if he let up for even a second, he ignored the pain he was in, in favor of inflicting the most possible damage he could. For the most part, the Dark Lord spent this time hunched over, protecting his head and trying to ward off the blows sending different spells his way but due to their positions Harry was able to avoid them if they came near him at all. At the rate things were going he was hoping that he could force the older wizard to flee but when an opportunity for more opened up, Harry was quick to jump on it, literally.

Voldemort had spun around a little to far and presented his back to Harry who was only to happy to seize the moment and take advantage of the situation. After beating him one last time, he leapt forward onto his back and threw the chain over his head. Straddling his back with Voldemort bent over the way he was, Harry couldn't get as much leverage to strangle the man as he would have liked but it did unbalance him enough to knock him to the ground. At this point Harry simply ignored the chain altogether and wrapped an arm around the Dark Lord's head and jerked it to the side in an attempt to break his neck. Something he found was much more difficult to accomplish than the action movies Dudley watched would suggest. Either that or all the rituals Voldemort had gone through had made his body more resilient to such things.

Rituals or not, the body can only sustain so much damage before it gives out and with one final jerk, a snap echoed off the walls as his skull was pulled free from his spine. His breath coming out in a shallow wheeze, Harry pushed Voldemort's body away from him and tried to stand. It took him a few tries but he eventually regained his footing and almost laughed at the injustice in the world when he noticed that, judging but the erratic breathing, Voldemort was still alive. With a sharp kick, he knocked the man over onto his back and chuckled as he took in the way his eyes and mouth were wide open as he gasped for breath and the sluggish movements of his arms and legs.

Once detail that surprised him was the hole that was burned into his robes at his left shoulder. A hole that was created by his blasting curse that also ripped the Time-Turner off from around his neck. For a moment he could almost hear Hermione lecturing him on the impossibility that the future Voldemort was still alive while the present was already dead. While he was by no means a scholar in any sense, he was deeply confused by this nonetheless. Deciding that it wasn't worth much thought at this current time and not wanting to take any chance, Harry raised his left leg and brought it down swiftly, stomping hard across his enemy's throat.

"**Why won't you die?" **Harry shouted in both confusion and rage when both breaking his neck and crushing his windpipe only seemed to rob him of his motor functions and the ability to breathe. Almost too late, Harry saw his unsteady arm wave his wand in his direction and he had to hurry to jump out of the way. While his reflexes were quite good, it was no doubt Voldemort's nearly incapacitated condition that saved his leg since he hadn't been paying attention. Who would think of a man in the Dark Lord's position would be a threat? As it was, the cutting curse only grazed the side of his knee while cutting about an inch into the back, severing some of the tendons. The rage he was feeling at the moment, both at his attacker and himself for his carelessness, allowed him to ignore the pain for the time being enough to crawl the few feet that separated them and easily snatch the wand out of his hand.

"I read a book on vampires not that long ago, Tom." Harry began in a conversational tone of voice as he pushed himself backwards a bit. "While listing the various ways to kill a vampire, it said, and I quote, '_There are very few things in this world that wouldn't be inconvenienced if you removed its head.' _Fascinating, don't you think." Those were the last words Voldemort heard before Harry cast three cutting curses directly at his neck. The first barely cut three inches while the following two made significantly more progress. Blood, thick and black, almost like crude oil, slowly leaked onto the marble floor. Harry was unconscious even before his body slumped to the floor. Despite the pain she was currently in, the girl, who had tried to remain as unnoticed as possible, scampered across the room to retrieve her wand so that she could free her father.

_Present Day_

"Wait, wait, wait!" Hermione quickly broke in, pulling all attention to her. "First of all, Time-Turners do not work like that! When used, they do not move from one location to another, they move ONLY through time. Also, even the strongest one being used today is only capable of moving a several hours. The idea of one moving over fifty years is simply ridiculous.

"Secondly, the sequence of events you are describing is just impossible. The 'future' You-Know-Who would have been aware of everything his past self had experienced, including confronting you as well as you destroying the Time-Turner because he would have been there in _his_ past. He would have known your every move. Also, to kill either the past or present incarnation of anyone will their future self is in the same time would create a paradox that could very well destroy the universe." She continued on for several minutes, going into deep explanations that had most people looking at her glassy eyed.

"Ms. Granger, are you by any chance a member of the Department of Mysteries?" Harry, err, Jacob asked curiously. Everyone looked at him as if he was completely off his rocker. For one, he himself was employed by that department so he would know anyway and Hermione had not even started her sixth year yet much less gotten a job. Those that had been around him enough though, Minerva, Albus and Moody, most notably, could tell that he was quite annoyed at her interruption.

"Of course not." She huffed in annoyance but was cut off before she could continue with her rant.

"So you do not have proper training or even access to the materials necessary for the proper study of time magic?"

"Well, no." Hermione answered uncertainly.

"Are you well versed enough in advanced theoretical physics, mathematics or quantum mechanics to understand the concept enough to take part in an intellectual debate on the subject with, oh, let's say, Stephen Hawking?"

"Who's Stephen Hawking?" Ron whispered quietly to Remus.

"He's a muggle professor at the University of Cambridge. He's probably one of the most intelligent people on the planet, if not _the_ most intelligent. He has also done some work with the Department of Mysteries. Its rumored that the newer model Time-Turners are of his design." The werewolf answered just as quietly.

"Probably not." Hermione answered again after a few moments. She was not the type of person that liked to admit that she was incapable of anything but since starting Hogwarts she had neglected her studies in muggle subjects but even if she hadn't she would have many years of hard study before she reached that level, if she ever could.

"So you do not have the knowledge or experience in either the magical or scientific aspects necessary for the travel through time? If there is another unknown component to the equation where your _considerable_ expertise lies, please, enlighten us." While there were many in the room that did not like the way he was speaking to Hermione, they all saw that he had a valid point and some even thought that maybe being shot down the way she was would do her some good. It was actually much like watching Snape ripping into any of his Gryffindor students, only Jacob appeared to be perfectly calm and was stating hard facts instead of merely spouting insults. Hermione silently shook her head as she just stared down at her hands "Then please, do not assume that you know more about the nature of time and space than people who have dedicated their whole lives to the study of the subject."

"So you do work with Time-Turners?" Albus spoke up, looking for confirmation. This question only seemed to annoy the other man even more. He was really getting tired of the old man's insistence for department information.

"Given my peculiar situation, it should go without saying that I have done some research in the field, but, as I have told you countless times before, my position and responsibilities are, and will remain, _classified. _You got it?" He snarled, causing many, Dumbledore included, to flinch.

"But…But, You're married to _McGonagall?_" Ron blurted out for the second time, seemingly unconcerned with everything else he had heard thus far. Everyone looked at him strangely but Jacob just raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, it gets worse than that." He answered with a grin. "I also have four daughters, and six granddaughters. Yes, I live in the estrogen ocean." He announced happily before his expression cooled once more. "Now, are there anymore pointless or asinine questions, or may I continue uninterrupted?" When no one spoke up, which just about everyone took as a good sign, Jacob relaxed a bit before turning to his wife. "My Dear, you have the floor."

End of chapter two.

Yes I am well aware that this chapter, especially the end was not very good but I really wanted to get this out now and if I had continued it would have taken a while longer and would have ended up extremely long before I had a decent stopping point.

For those of you that were looking forward to it, don't worry, despite Voldemort's demise there will certainly be plenty of confrontation in this fic.

If you liked it or hated it, please leave a review and let me know if there is anyway I can improve this story. Thanks.


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